[Brittone05]

This was taken from another forum - sorry Rich if I am not supposed to post it here - hoping that someone out there may have info that will help to return these animals safely

TURTLE AND TORTOISE THEFT IN OHIO
« Thread Started on Dec 6, 2005, 1:09am »

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JUST RECEIVED THIS.. (post where appropriate)


Please pass this on to everyone you know –
whether they are a animal lovers or not. My hopes
are that the more people who are informed
regarding the incident I am going to share with
you then the higher the chance that someone will
hear about something, get a tip or something else
and pass the information on. You know how fast
those cute emails circle the globe – well this is my hope.

A dear friend of mine, Turtle Lady, was robbed of
thousands of dollars of turtles and tortoises
from her home recently. The gravity of the
situation is not in just the theft itself, but
many of these were pets who she has had for many
years. The long life of turtles and tortoises
means that many of these animals have been with
her since she was young and have certainly grown
up with her family. Indeed some of these have
followed her children around the home and yard as
they took their first steps and grew into adults
that they are today in high school, college and
married. Simply by the name that she has chosen
to represent her you can get the jest of her love
for her turtles. The Turtle Lady has touched the
lives literally of thousands. She for many years
has taken her entourage of turtles/tortoises and
other reptiles into schools, libraries, community
centers, festivals, etc. to share her love with
children. Her motto says it all – Changing little
pieces of the world... One Turtle...one
Child...at a time. The Turtle Lady has been
featured with a full page spread and several
other miscellaneous articles in various papers
including the Columbus Dispatch for her special
programs. She has also had a feature story
previously in the Reptile Magazine. I hope now I
am truly expressing the gravity of this loss.
Well let me add some more – some of the turtles
and tortoises stolen were also rescues from
individuals who loved them, but could no longer
care for them. Again with the life span of these
animals many individuals have these for pets for
decades and then life chances and they love them
no less, but may need help caring for them even
temporally. The Turtle Lady has never turned a
turtle away. So some of the stolen were not just
her beloved animals, but that of others as well.
Finally, two were on medicine and none can handle
the northern US winters – all were going into
hibernation, therefore, they are seriously at risk.

Due to the nature of the animals take in
comparison to the ones left behind – it is very
obvious that the individual(s) knew what they
were doing. All of the animals taken were high
dollar species. There has been a theft ring and
black market for exotics for some time. The
animals are stolen and many times transported to
another state and sold at lower rates allowing
the buyer to think they are getting a great deal.
Due to the dollar amount involved, crossing state
lines, etc. this is a felony with federal
implications. The good news is that unlike many
stolen lizards, tortoises are more commonly
tagged. Many of these animals were tagged and if
scanned the individual with the stolen property
will be caught and prosecuted (at a minimum for receiving stolen property).

Please, if you hear of someone who has a large
number of turtles or tortoises and is offering
them at a “good deal” – please, please contact me
with this information. We will be happy to run
down all misleads because we know there is always
a chance – this is called hope. I understand this
hope, as I too have experienced this type of loss
due to theft of on of my pets. I was lucky
because someone did just what I am asking and I was able to retrieve my pet.

Also please pass this on like all those cute
emails, chain mails, etc. you never know who will
receive it and have just the right information to
return the Turtle Lady to babies that she has had for decades.

For those of you who are knowledgeable about
reptiles here is a list of the types stolen
(numbers stolen varied for each species but a
total of roughly 35 animals valued in the
thousands): Cherryheaded Redfoots, Golden Greeks,
large Redfoots, large Yellowfoots, very large
Russian and medium Russians, Blandings, Eastern Box, Spotted, and Woods.

Please reply to <Saffiredragon@columbus.rr.com>
with any suspicious activity! Post elsewhere as appropriate!
Thanks so much!

ANYBODY.. help

Terry

[angel]

Thanks for posting this. I had not heard about the incident, but having read this, I will keep my eyes and ears open. Yu never know where things can turn up. The suburbs of chicago certainly is not out of reach. Keep us posted if you hear any updates to this story as well.
Angel

[Brittone05]

I will update as soon as I hear any more - keeping my fingers crossed for the poor chelonia and the poor lady who is missing them so badly

[allie&shadwell]

I hope, considering that this took place over a month ago, that some of these little critters have been found and taken back to their home. What a sad story. And how well-organized the thieves must have been, if you think about it.....[I always think about things like that]. I didn't know that tortoises were so long-lived.
Allie.